Some of our Members

Meeting new people can always be a bit terrifying. A person who walks through the doors of any church for the first time is going to wonder about who has joined, why, and what kind of people they are.

People join our parish for many reasons - for reflection, fellowship, or even action.

Here are a few people you'll meet.

  • "Chip"

    I have worshipped at St. Barts for over 20 years, and have found that the commitment of the church to the service of others applies fully to my work. I am a criminal defense lawyer, dealing on a daily basis with clients and their families, helping them justice system and deal with their darkest days.


    I bring a loyalty that some of them have never known, helping them find the best outcome available, and reconciling with the courts and authorities so that they can continue past their legal entanglements. In my work, I seek to follow the Christian commandment to serve others and bring relief to those in trouble and suffering.

  • Jennifer

    I  came to Saint Barts accidentally. A long time practicing Catholic, always on a quest, I was searching for a spiritual home that aligned with my core values of service, diversity, inclusion, and worship. A chance social meeting at the church's hall brought me here, and I have never left. I discovered St. Bart's is the embodiment of those values.

    I am a Registered Nurse who has spent my entire career caring for the health needs of the community, from the young to the elderly, the healthy to the vulnerable, the undocumented and uninsured to the CEO's of companies. I treat each person with respect regardless of social circumstance, addictions, and financial abilities. I value teamwork: from the housekeepers to the doctors, I believe each person makes a contribution.
     
    As a way of giving back, honoring that one nurse who inspired me when I was a teenager, I teach student nurses from the local community college. Mentorship, after all, is key to personal and professional success. I love what I do.

    My church, St. Bart's, provides me with peace, fellowship, renewal, repose, the ability to serve,  grounding and an excellent coffee hour. My favorite things is our Mass on The Grass in the summer with our potluck barbecue that follows and the Women' group.  It's members are the tremendous value of this church community,  I can truly call St. Barts my spiritual home, and grateful that God sent me here.

  • Norman

    For most of my life I have been three things: a black man; an Episcopalian; and a motorcyclist. The second and third were choices I made, and they are confluent. There is a spiritual freedom intrinsic in a good ride on a motorcycle that I could not find anywhere else; and there is a place of comfort and friendship I have found in every Episcopalian church I have attended. Both the ride and the church offer me freedoms and opportunities I can engage, enjoy and share.


    Being a motorcyclist enables me to use my faith in other venues. When I was a younger rider (and there were fewer motorcyclists) there used to be an unspoken rule: never pass by another motorcycle stopped on a highway. As our modern world has evolved this stopped being a general rule, but it still is for me. It is a way to use my faith in (hopefully) helping someone who needs it, and I have done it even though when I have been the one who was stopped no one stopped for me. As with my faith in God, it isn't about giving to get; it is about giving because it is the right thing to do. 


    I am also involved in the national organization that advocates for motorcycles. There again, opportunities can be created to encourage and assist fellow motorcyclists to find greater fulfillment as riders. Sometimes it is through direct contact; sometimes it is merely by example. I am one of the motorcyclists described as ATGATT. The acronym means "all the gear, all the time", and it means that when I ride I always wear full and modern protective gear, i.e. a helmet, gloves,boots,a protective jacket and leather pants. Some riders ask me why; I tell them I wear the gear because I want to ride again. Not much different to why I belong to St. Barts; belonging there means I always have a place to which I can always return. In both instances I hope that my example encourages others to participate as I do.